The waterpark Hurricane Harbor beckons thrill seekers with the opening of a faster, better and wetter attraction — ZoomAzon Falls, the park's first body slides for tweens, teens and adults.

Meanwhile, an old favorite – Skull Mountain – this week begins its countdown to retirement. The part-water flume and part-coaster ride ends its decade-long run on July 10, when it will be dismantled to make way for a new attraction. The park will donate a boat from Skull Mountain to the National Roller Coaster Museum in Texas after the final voyage.

The plan: Starting today, Six Flags visitors will have special photo opportunities for Skull Mountain. A pirate festival goodbye party is planned for July 9-10. After paying your respects to the old ride, head for the new Amazonian-themed water attraction at ZoomAzon Falls. Choose one of four twisting and turning body slides, each enhanced by a waterfall, tropical decor and an authentic jungle soundtrack. The new aquatic adventure is more than a half-mile of splashing fun, but you have to be a minimum 48 inches tall to ride the attraction.

The details: ZoomAzon Falls is open through Sept. 5. Admission prices vary for Six Flags. A 2011 Splash Pass is $54.99 – the same price as a one-day admission — and includes unlimited visits through Labor Day.

A Civil War-period coat worn by a nurse — a woman from a prominent Mathews County family who some believe was the only woman to be commissioned as a captain in the Confederate Army — is among the nominees for Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program.

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — The Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS John Warner, adding a 12th Virginia-class submarine to the fleet and celebrating the legacy of its namesake, the retired senator who was hailed as a statesman.